"I'm in the 'whatever it takes camp.' Whatever it takes we have to do it." - Sen. Bob Casey, Jr.

About to embark for Normandy, France, as part of a bipartisan Congressional delegation taking part in D-Day services there this weekend, Sen. Bob Casey, Jr., (D-PA) on Thursday lent his voice to the growing number of lawmakers proposing legislation to overhaul the beleaguered Department of Veterans Affairs.

Speaking during a telephone press conference from Washington, Casey said he would favor increased funding to the VA, if that's what it took to solve problems.

"I'm in the 'whatever it takes camp,'" Casey said. "Whatever it takes we have to do it. If it's revenue we need, we have to find it. You can't say you are going to keep the promise if you are going to skimp on resources."

Casey made a push for a comprehensive bill that would overhaul health care, education and employment strategies offered to veterans, as well as begin to rectify the federal agency, which has been rocked by a series of scandals.

Casey's counterpart in the Senate, Sen. Pat Toomey, (R-Pa), last week introduced legislation that would make employees of the VA accountable for any prolonged crisis.

Noting the contributions of 1.2 million Pennsylvania veterans during World War II, Casey said Congress had to put aside bipartisanship and seek common ground in finding a solution to the veterans agency's problems.

"This weekend gives us a reminder of the scope and sweep of the service that fighting men and women have given to our country on this day and on a lot of other days," Casey said, referencing the 70th commemoration of the Normandy invasion on Friday.

Casey said he backed efforts to ensure the federal agency had sufficient and appropriate resources, including medical and nursing staff.

"If that means we have to hire more doctors and nurses, we have to do it. We have to provide more funding," Casey said.

He added that he backed policies that would put accountability – consistent with due process – upon agency personnel deemed to not be performing their job.

"I think we can strike that balance by having an expeditious process where you can make those changes and still make sure you are giving people the due process they should be entitled to . . . not an endless process but a short maybe even truncated process," Casey said. "But process that would allow changes to be made within a short time frame."

The VA has recently been rocked by a series of scandals, notably involving widespread misconduct, mismanagement across medical facilities and deaths of veterans waiting inordinately long periods for health care. Retired Gen. Eric Shinseki last week resigned as head of the VA after holding the office five years. Shinseki resigned after meeting with President Obama about the VA crisis.

Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson was making a visit Thursday to the Phoenix VA medical center, where reports about veterans dying while awaiting appointments set off the furor resulting in Shinseki's resignation.

An interim inspector general's report last month said veterans in Phoenix wait an average 115 days for a first appointment – five times longer than the 24-day average the hospital had reported. The inspector general said more than VA facilities nationwide were under investigation.

A number of Washington lawmakers have since pushed for legislation to overhaul the federal agency.

Toomey's proposed legislation – the VA Accountability Act of 2014 – would largely make employees of that federal agency accountable for delays and damages incurred by veterans as a result of any delays.

Under Toomey's bill, veterans at VA hospitals would be allowed to sue VA employees who falsified and destroyed health records. The bill would ensure compensation for individuals who have been injured due to secret wait lists; and allow the head of the VA to fire and revoke pensions of any employee found to have violated the legislation.

Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday. Sen. McCain and three other GOP senators introduced a bill Tuesday that would give veterans more flexibility to see a private doctor if they are forced to wait too long for an appointment at a Veterans Affairs hospital or clinic. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)J. Scott Applewhite

Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and three other GOP senators this week introduced a bill that would give veterans more flexibility to see a private doctor if they are forced to wait too long for an appointment at a Veterans Affairs hospital or clinic.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., proposed legislation that would allow veterans who can't get timely appointments with VA doctors to go to community health centers, military hospitals or private doctors. The bill also would authorize the VA to lease 27 new health facilities in 18 states and give the VA secretary authority to remove senior executives within 30 days of being fired for poor job performance, eliminating lengthy appeals.

Asked about the cost of his proposed legislation, Casey said the overhaul would "play out in the normal appropriations process."

Casey said the VA should be expected to make a compelling and persuasive case for why it needs additional funding and provide documentation of how it will spend the money, if additional money is provided.

He said if the agency can make the case, he will support calls for more revenue.

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